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United States Patent Primary Examiner-l-larvey C. Hornsby Attorney- Darbo, Robertson and Vandenburgh ABSTRACT: An automotive vehicle lift is formed of a U frame received in a housing embedded below the floor. The sides of the U are formed by rectangular hollow columns closed at the top and open atthe bottom. Within each of the columns and bearing against the closed top thereof and the bottom of the housing are hydraulic lifting cylinders. These are connected to a positive displacement hydraulic pump. The columns are vertically movable in bearings held by the housing, one bearing being adjacent the floor level and a second bearing being spaced downwardly from the first bearing. At the top of each column is a bolster. Each bolster carries two vehicle supporting arms. The connection between the bolster and the arms is offset from the columns. The bolsters are removably affixed to the columns whereby the offset may either be inwardly, towards the other column, to form a driveover hoist or outwardly, away from the other column, to provide a drive-through hoist.

Patented 0a. 27, 1910' Sheet 2' 2 pcuu a, Zulu/041M 1 FRAME HYDRAULIC VEIICILE um BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Most commonly used vehicle lifts for gasoline stations and the like employ "one or more large cylindrical hydraulic rams, the large diameter ram being necessary to provide stability to resist bending loads on the ram. These are air-hydraulic rams wherein air pressure is employed to force the hydraulic fluid into the ram. When more than two rams are employed in the lifting of event that the rams do not move substantially uniformly and to this end some prior art devices have endeavored to equalize the piston travel with external rack and pinion sets or cable and pulley sets.

A number of disadvantages of such conventional prior art apparatus are overcome by the embodiments of the present invention, to wit: the vertically movable U" shaped carriage of the present invention insure that the two vertically movable columns, which provide flexing stability with the imposition of offset loads, move in unison since they are tied together as a single element. These columns with their attendant seals and bearings need not be as accurately formed as is required of the prior art hydraulic rams since they need not be formed to contain the oil pressures encountered in the lifting of a vehicle. Comparatively inexpensive hydraulic cylinders are contained within the columns and 'need only perform the lifting force, rather than being large enough in diameter to carry offset loads. Being within the enclosed columns the hydraulic cylinders are protected against the deleterious action of dirt, water, cleaning compounds, etc. The complete vehicle lift may be factory assembled and shipped and installed as a unit substantially reducing the problems otherwise attendant field assembly. If desired, the bolsters may be reversed in the field to change from a drive-over to a drive-through lift, or vice versa, depending upon the whims of the user.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES FIG. 1 is a vertical section through an installed embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial section as seen at line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a partial section as seen at line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a partial section as viewed at line 5-5 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the FIG. 1 embodiment which forms a drive-over vehicle lift; and

FIG. 7 is a partial plan view illustrating the repositioning of the bolster to form a drive-through lift.

DESGRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENT matter how others may later disguise it by variations in form or I additions or further improvements. The claims at the end hereof are intended as the chief aid toward this purpose; as it is these that meet the requirement of pointing out the parts,

improvements, or combinations in which the inventive con-' cepts are found.

a single vehicle there are dangers involved in the- In the disclosed embodiment there is a housing generally 10 which receives a U shaped carriage generally 11. The sides of the carriage are formed by vertical columns 12 and 13, which are rectangular in horizontal cross section. The columns are closed at the top by plates 14 and 15. Adjacent their open bottoms the columns are connected by two box crossmembers 16 and 17.

At the top of the columns are bolsters l9 and 20 respectively. The bolsters are afiixed to the columns by four bolts 21 threaded into top plates 14 and 15 respectively. Bolsters 19 and 20 have an end 19a and 20d which overhangs the side of the column. Secured on the overhanging end of the bolsters are links 22. Each link has secured to it a pair of jointed arms generally 23. At the ends of the jointed arms are vehicle contacting pads 24. This arm and pad structure is illustrated and described in greater detail in my prior US. Pat. No. 3,315,764. In some embodiments the link 22 can be omitted and the arms 23 pivotally attached directly to bolsters 19 and 20.-

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7 particularly, the columns 12 and 13 are spaced from each other a distance approximately equal to the width of the track of an automotive vehicle, said width being indicated by thedimension A. Thus, with the bolsters arranged in the manner illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 6, the lift forms a drive-over arrangement. When the vehicle is moved into position for lifting it straddles the arms 23. By removing bolts 21, the bolsters 19 and 20 can be rotated in a horizontal plane and reaffixed to the columns in the manner illustrated in FIG. 7. The lift now provides a drive-through type arrangement wherein the vehicle moves in the space between the jointed arms 23 as it moves on or off the lift.

Housing 10 includes a bottom 27 which rests on a concrete footing 28. The top of the housing is level with the floor surface 29. There are two lower sides 30 and lower ends 31. At the top of the lower portion of the housing are two side angles 32 and two end angles 33. There are two internal cross angles 34-best seen in FIGS. 1 and 3. Held within the flanges of the angles are lower bearings 35 for the columns 12 and 13. Particularly from FIG. 3, it will be seen that the bearings 35 also prevent rotation of the columns 12 and 13 about their vertical axes.

Extending above angles '32, 33 are upper sides 37 and upper ends 38. At the floor level are two side angles 39, two end angles 40, we cross angles 41, and a cover plate 42. These upper angles hold upper column bearings 43 as well as felt pads-44. Felt pads 44 serve as seals to prevent the entrance of moisture, dirt and the like.

Within the columns 12 and 13 are hydraulic rams comprising respectively, cylinders 45 and 46 and pistons 47 and48. The upper end of the pistons contact plates 14 and 15 while the lower end of thecylinders are supported on the housing by tubes 49. Conduits 50 and'SI communicate with cylinders 45 and 46 respectively and with a central pipe 53. As indicated by dot dash line 54, central pipe 53 connects with a suitable hydraulic'fluid supply device generally 55. This would comprise a suitable source of hydraulic fluid, a positive displacement hydraulic pump and controls therefore (not shown). When hydraulic fluid is supplied to cylinders 45 and '46 the carriage 11 will move to the raised position, illustrated in FIG. 1, to support a vehicle above the floor for work thereon. When the hydraulic fluid is allowed to flow from pipe 53 to the reser' voir thelift will be lowered to the dotted line position illustrated in FIG. 2. The fact that a pure hydraulic system is employed with small capacity cylinders, rather than the airhydraulic systems of conventional hoists, has the advantages that: the hoist can be held securely in any raised increment without the necessity of props, etc.; it is rapid acting ascompared to the conventional apparatus; and it does not have the mushy character encountered where compressed air is involved.

1 claim:

1. A method of utilizing an automobile lift structure to produce either a drive-through or a drive-over lift wherein the structure comprises a pair of lift cylinders spaced apart approximately the tread width of the vehicle, bolsters releasably afflxed respectively to the tops of the two cylinders, which bolsters each have a portion overhanging the cylinder, and automobile support arms affixed to said portions, including the from each other to form a proximately the tread width of the vehicle, bolsters releasably affiited respectively to the tops of the two cylinders, which bolsters each have a portion overhanging the cylinder, and au-v tonrobile support arms affixed to said portions, including the removing said bolsters from said cylinders;

reversing said bolsters so that said portions point away from each other; and r j reaffixing said bolsters to said cylinders in said reversed position.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Pat t N 3, 536,162 Dated October 27, 1970 Inventor(s) Jesse E. Clark It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

The name of the Assignee, shown as "Autoquik Corporation" should be Autoquip Corporation Insert "This application is a division of Application Serial No. 700, 518, filed January 25, 1968" SIGNED NW SEALED Elva-d ll. Flasks, Ir. Atteatiny Offioer mallow of Pa outs 

